Grey Gardens (DVD, 2009)

If you love stories about old money and times which are truly past, then this film is for you. Drew Barrymore absolutely nails the part of "Little Edie"- A true love story and one that is riveting and fascinating. The story is of a mother and daughter who live in deplorable conditions in what was once a Long Island high society mansion. The mother and daughter are loving, and bound by a strong -even if skewed- connection.This is a bit of a story within a story, as the true life drama was filmed for a documentary called Grey Gardens back in the 1970's- This HBO film depicts the life of the duo during the filming - before and after. Also brings in the family tie of the "Edie's" being related to Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Great film- Simply loved it.

I think "Grey Gardens" is HBO's Jewel in the Crown.. I could not find enough superlatives to describe my feelings for this movie...I am normally one who only needs to watch a movie once but have made exceptions. I have seen this movie at least 10 to 15 times. There were ah-ha moments each and every time I viewed it..Every one I shared this with also become huge fans of this movie and I do not know one person that was content with watching it only once..I did see the 60 Minutes piece on the Beales many years ago and this was my first introduction to the facinating pair. This movie brings a great humanity to their unusual characters..Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange performances were 12 steps beyond amazing...I think it is best to watch the documentary as I did before the movie to get the background needed to understand and appreciate how brilliantly these 2 actresses portrayed the two Edies...This movie also gets 5 stars for set decoration, costumes,sound track and screenplay...I saw the HBO short film on the making of Grey Gardens and there was a phenominal amount of time invested into the small details to coincide with the documentary..I was impressed with the actor, Ken Howard that played big Edies husband and how he almost looked identical to the real Mr. Beale. The music was perfect and hauntingly beautiful.. I give this movie the highest recommendation possible. I suggest watching it at least 3 times to understand the puzzle they put forward..

I saw Drew Barrymore on the program Entertaiment Tonight in a preview of the movie, I thought she looked like she was potraying an interesting person and the title of movie sounded intriguing I so read all about it on the internet and everything I could find out about the mother and daughter featuring in the movie.

I didnt like the flashbacks in the movie, it became confusing and for anyone who didnt know the story it would be a little hard to follow I felt. It would have been better for them to run through like a life story running from start to finish. I was left with a flat feeling, no lingering thoughts or good feelings like I feel with alot of movies.

This is a great TV movie. The story of Big and Little Edie Beal is poignantly told, and brilliantly performed by it's two leads, Drew Barrymore (yes, Drew Barrymore) and Jessica Lang.

For those that know the original documentaries, this film will be an amazing insite into their lives outside what was shown there.
Sometimes Drew Barrymore, as Little Edie, is Drew Barrymore playing Little Edie, but a number of times you can spot the work she put into the research. Now Jessica Lang on the other hand - amazing! You cannot tell where Jessica stops and the original older Edie begins! She has imersed herself into the character and proves what a great actress she is.
A few plot questions compared to the documentaries and even the musical, but it's the connection of these two women that drives the movie!
This is a great companion piece to the others, but hope this means they won't film the musical.
*SPOILER* One scene where the Health Inspectors invade their world will get you choked up. Just keep your eyes on Miss Lang and keep the Kleenex handy.